Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except the mistakes those are mine.

A/N: This turned out very different from what I had in mind, and it can probably be better. I hope my lovely Jibbs readers enjoy this, it's always fun revisiting this AU verse.

Summary: This sort of deals with the aftermath of what happened in Columbia. Not the best start, but it can only get better.

Enjoy*

The bed squeaked as she woke with a start. She listened, ears pricking up at the slightest sound that was out of place. There was a faint snore coming from somewhere down the hall, most probably from the rambunctious Boston Terrier. Outside the wind rustled the trees, carrying with it the sound of an occasionally passing car.

Brushing her thick red curls out of her face, she let out a tired sigh. Turning her head on the pillow, she glared at her husband, who was still fast asleep. It was only a matter of minutes before she'd hear Adira fussing over the baby monitor. Which was the main reason sleep eluded her. It had been touch and go this past week.

Jethro was on six weeks medical leave after everything that happened in Columbia, and she was silently thankful for it. They had fallen back into their morning routine rather quickly. Something that was easier than she thought with the new addition to their family. Despite the – so far – smooth sailing, she was troubled.

At times she wanted to blame the still crazy hormones, the irrational thoughts that ran through her mind frightened her occasionally.

There had been one or two incidents where she had felt almost… inadequate. She doubted that her husband knew about the frustrated tears she had let slip when he had effortlessly taken their newborn from her and had soothed her within minutes. He also hadn't noticed the irritation that flashed in her eyes when he was hovering behind her while she breastfed Adira. She felt terrible.

Jenny wiped at the tears threatening to fall. She knew he meant well. He had been nothing but doting father and husband ever since he'd returned. He was most likely beating himself up over missing the last few weeks of the pregnancy, and for leaving Kelly confused about why her daddy wasn't home.

They avoided the Columbia topic all together. It was easy, both of them were enthralled with their two children, preferring to focus on them instead of the issue at hand. Kelly had been different lately. At first she'd thought that perhaps with the new baby Kelly was feeling a tiny bit rejected.

She'd picked up on it the moment they were settled after getting home from the hospital. The little girl was wrapped up in her little sister, cooing over her every moment she got. She'd expected a tiny bit of jealous, but Kelly was absolutely smitten with Adira. The young lady's attitude towards her father was one that was causing her some concern.

Kelly had been happy to see her father was back, but that was as far as her affection towards him went. She avoided him at all cost. Before he had left he had been tasked with bedtime stories, something she knew both he and Kelly enjoyed. Ever since his return Kelly either went to bed without a story or asked that her mommy read to her.

Jenny had feared the worst, hoping Kelly wasn't feeling neglected because Jethro was currently giving most of his attention to their newborn. She'd even been wrong about that. Kelly couldn't wait to spend time with her and the baby when she got home from school, always willing to help with whatever she or the baby might need.

She'd noticed that Jethro had picked up on the odd behavior as well. He'd asked Kelly a few times if she wanted to help him in the basement, each time she shook her head and scampered off with Yoda. The first time she could see he thought it was because of the excitement of being a big sister, since Kelly refused to let Adira be alone for a few minutes.

When Kelly had declined her father's invitation, a second time, the disappointment on his face had been unmistakable. She'd tried her best to sooth his worries, telling him to give it a few more days, until the idea of being a big sister wasn't all that new any more.

The monitor crackled softly beside her. Throwing the covers back, she planted her sock-clad feet on the floor, checking behind her to see if her husband had even stirred. He was fast asleep, his still bruised face buried in his pillow.

Jenny let out a quiet sigh as she padded out of the room. She closed the door behind her softly, making her way across the hall to the nursery, monitor in hand.

It was the first night Adira was in the nursery on her own. The tiny bundle had slept with them in the master bedroom, more to ease her own mind knowing her baby was close instead of across the hall. The newborn was wide awake, her fussing getting progressively louder.

Quickly taking off her sweatshirt, Jenny reached in the crib for her daughter. Adira fussed for a moment before actively seeking her mother's chest. Adjusting the baby in her arms so she was more comfortable, she took a seat in the rocking chair.

Adira fussed, growing impatient with having to wait so long. Jenny smiled as she adjusted the baby, waiting with baited breath as she rooted around. Breastfeeding hadn't exactly been easy the first few days. She had been tired, inexperienced and frustrated with all the 'advice' other more experienced mothers had given her, at times it felt more like pity than advice. She'd finally found a way that worked for both her and the baby.

Adira suckled happily, soft grey eyes blinking up at her mother. Jenny brushed her fingers over the soft coppery hair. She'd never thought that she'd have two beautiful little girls, much less a family of her own at this point in her life. The little girl's eyes had drifted shut, still suckling happily.

The door to the nursery cracked open. Jenny looked over at the figure that stood in the doorway. She smiled at her husband as he closed the door behind him, stopping the night light from spilling out of the room. He scrubbed a hand over his face gingerly, trying to force the sleep away. She shifted, suddenly insecure about him seeing her like this.

Jethro frowned, he didn't know his wife to be modest – especially not around him. Licking his dry lips for a lack of something else to do, he padded across the room to take a seat next to her. He moved the other rocking chair closer to his wife's, watching with fascination as the baby stopped suckling, momentarily satisfied.

"You're up early." Jenny murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb Adira as she seemed to be falling asleep. She adjusted her spaghetti strap top, covering herself quickly. She didn't want to ponder on why she was constantly covering herself whenever he was around and it just so happened to be feeding time.

"Been awake since you got up." His voice was still thick with sleep. If he were honest with himself, there was a lot on his mind lately that was keeping him up.

"Didn't mean to wake you." She muttered softly, preferring to focus her attention on Adira.

They'd had fights before, ugly ones, but this… this felt wrong. They weren't supposed to be tip toeing around each other. They were going to have to deal with this soon, before it turned into something it wasn't. Adira started fussing again, nuzzling against her mother's breast instinctively.

Jenny sighed internally. Adjusting herself, she helped the baby latch on, she grit her teeth when Adira kept rooting around. This always happened when Jethro was in the room, her nerves would be shot to hell, silently wondering whether he was judging her or not.

Shifting in her chair, she managed to get a fussing Adira to latch on, letting out the breath she had been holding. Relaxing back in the chair, she shifted causing Adira to pull away. She ground her teeth together. Why was this so difficult?

Adira whimpered quietly before she started crying. She tried again, guiding the baby closer, hoping that this time she'll latch on more easily. The baby turned her head away, her voice cracking as she wailed at the top of her lungs. Jenny felt the tears sting the corner of her eyes as she desperately tried to both sooth and feed her daughter.

Jethro sat forward, trying to see if there was something he could do to help. He could see the frustration on his wife's face, knew that she'd been berating herself every chance she got when she or Adira struggled. He placed a hand on her thigh, drawing her attention to him.

"Why don't you have a seat on the couch? Might be more comfortable." He offered her an encouraging smile, not missing the self-doubting look that passed across her face.

Jethro reached out, taking Adira from her as she moved to get up. He grabbed the pacifier from where it was sitting in its container, offering it to the baby to suck on while they re-situated themselves. She actively nuzzled against his chest, the fussing subsiding somewhat.

Jenny took a seat on the small sofa. Taking Adira, she tried again, overly aware of Jethro hovering over her shoulder. She could feel his piercing eyes track ever little move she made. This had turned into an absolute disaster.

The baby latched on easily, suckling once again. She pressed her fingers against her forehead, trying to ease the headache that had steadily developed. She'd struggled before, but not to this extent, and the last few days had been progressively better. She seriously considered switching to bottle feeding to avoid any future incidents.

"Support her with both hands." Jethro murmured behind her from where he was seated on the arm of the couch.

"Jethro." Jenny snapped quietly. She squeezed her eyes shut. She knew he was trying to help, but… sometimes it felt like he judged her on every move she made when it came to Adira. She knew he'd been through this before, he had managed to raise Kelly all by himself. The tears were suddenly back, this time threatening to roll down her cheeks.

"Sorry..." She whispered softly. Why was this so bloody hard? Jethro squeezed her shoulder gently.

Adira refused to suckle anymore, finally full. Jenny adjusted her top, moving Adira to her shoulder, so she could burp her. Jethro stood up, holding out his arms to take the baby. She looked up at him, hoping he won't notice the tears glistening in her eyes. Passing Adira to him gently, she quickly grabbed her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head.

"Why don't you go back to bed? I'll take care of her, you need the rest more than I do."

She whispered her thanks as she quietly left the room. Leaning against the wall, she tilted her head back. This was not what she had been prepared for. Letting the tears slip, she bit her lip, trying to hold back the sob. In the last two days, she seriously considered that she might have postpartum depression. A visit to the doctor had enlightened her that it wasn't that at all.

He had suggested she be a bit more patient with herself, that it took sometime before she would fully grasp the right technique when it came to breastfeeding.

Light spilled into the hallway through the large window, signaling the dawn of yet another day. Trying to gather herself, Jenny pushed away from the wall, knowing that her eldest would be up withing the next fifteen minutes.

Kelly moseyed into the kitchen, curly hair sticking up in every direction as she took her usual spot at the breakfast table. She grumbled something under her breath as she hoisted herself up on her chair, glaring at the cereal boxes in front of her.

Jenny turned from where she was busy with the coffee machine, smiling as she saw the scowl on her daughter's face. "Hey, sleepyhead, you still tired?"

Kelly straightened somewhat as she saw her mother, a sleepy smile crossing her pretty face. "Morning, Mommy." The look dropped from her face. "Yoda snores too much."

Jenny chuckled softly, shaking her head. Filling the well worn Star Wars cup with orange juice, she placed it in front of the kindergartner while she quickly fixed her breakfast.

She was tired, and she would give anything to go back to bed, but she doubted she'd be able to sleep. She had avoided going to bed after the incident with Jethro. She felt terrible, he'd only been trying to help and in her frustrated state of mind she practically bit his head off with one word. That alone had been another reason why she had avoided going to bed after he'd told her to. She didn't know if she could face him.

There was a clatter on the stairs as Yoda traipsed down them, one of his various chew toys in his mouth. Jethro wasn't far behind him, Adira safely swaddled in his arms as she slept soundly. He placed her in the crib that was set up in the living room.

Kelly shot into the living room, a silent blur as she headed straight for her baby sister. She quietly peaked in the crib, grinning quietly as Adira slept. She reached in and adjusted the blanket around her sister, making sure she was still warm.

Noticing her father for the first time, she looked at him with large blue eyes. He smiled down at her proudly, watching over them protectively.

"Morning." Kelly blurted out, quickly darting back to the kitchen to finish her breakfast.

Jethro stood in stunned silence. The last week she'd gone to school before he even got up, courtesy of his team who had been taking turns in dropping her off. He didn't know how to process the idea of her being so distant. He watched as she smiled up at her mother, eyes twinkling as she told her all about the game they would be playing at school.

Kelly calling Jenny her mother was a milestone he had missed. The still fresh scar on her forehead had twisted the knife in even deeper, knowing he hadn't been there to sooth her. He allowed his gaze to drift to his wife as she moved around the kitchen.

He could see she was tired; her shoulders were slightly hunched over, the dark circles under her eyes contrasting greatly against her pale skin. He didn't know what to make of her not going to bed after he'd assured her that he would take care of the baby.

Stepping into the kitchen, he took his usual spot at the breakfast table, smiling up at his wife as she placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. She returned the smile rather tight lipped, clearly showing that it was forced.

Knowing now was not the time he turned towards his daughter, watching as she wolfed down her cereal. "So, Kel, you excited it's finally weekend?"

Kelly looked up from her bowl nodding her head as she continued shoving cereal in her mouth. She chewed vigorously as she slid off her chair, taking her bowl to the sink and handing it to her mother. She wiped the remaining milk from the cereal off with her sleeve.

"Kelly, honey, slow down. There's still enough time for you to get ready." Jenny ruffled the girl's messy curls as she helped her place the bowl in the sink.

"But Mommy, Ziva's picking me up and she's always early." Kelly whined, unimpressed with the fact that she had to rush whenever she had to ride to school with Ziva.

"No, baby, that's Thursday's. It's Friday so it's Tony again." Jenny smiled down at Kelly watching as she processed the information.

Kelly giggled shyly, hiding her face behind her arm in embarrassment. She pushed her thick brown hair out of her face and looked at her mother with large puppy dog eyes. "Can I watch cartoons until it's time to get ready?"

Jenny shook her head, tutting disapprovingly. "No, go brush your teeth and get dressed. Your clothes are on your bed. And then, when you're finished and Tony's not here yet you can watch cartoons."

Kelly seemed to consider the offer, nodding her head approvingly at the proposal.

Jethro smiled at Kelly. "Hey, you gonna help me in the basement today when you get home?" He asked hopefully.

Kelly looked at her father, her blue eyes briefly flickering to her mother. She gave her father a shrug before she headed for the stairs.

Jethro scrubbed a hand across his face, gritting his teeth against the painful thud in his chest. He didn't know how to handle this. It wasn't the first time he'd been gone for an extended period of time. The only difference was that he'd been able to call the other times. He caught the troubled look on his wife's face, cementing the fact that Kelly was acting strange.

"Jen, did something happen while I was gone?"

Jenny stopped with what she was doing, looking at her husband as he stared off into the distance. It was taking all her strength not to show how much that question hurt. It shouldn't have, but it sounded like he wanted to blame her for their daughter's suddenly odd behavior.

Swallowing down the emotions, she frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know, Jethro."

She wasn't going to tell him that their daughter had screamed for her father to help her when she'd hit her head against the counter. Or that she and Tony had wished that night wouldn't come because it would just result in an inconsolable five-year-old. She wasn't going to guilt trip him either.

"I'll talk to her this afternoon, okay? Maybe she's got something on her mind." She tried to reassure him.

He simply nodded as he turned back to his coffee.

The front door swung open with a loud thud, announcing the arrival of none other than Kelly. She quickly kicked off her shoes, curly hair tousled and tendrils slipping out of her ponytail. She placed her backpack on the tiny hook, taking out her lunchbox and heading straight for the kitchen. Nearly tripping over her own feet as she darted to the sink.

Jenny closed the door behind her, shaking her head. She wished she had half as much energy as Kelly. Yoda darted down the stairs, heading straight for his mistress as she knelt to say hello. The heavy footsteps thumping across the kitchen floor had the little girl straightening up.

Two pairs of crystal blue eyes met. Kelly smiled up at her father, giving him a tiny wave. "Hi." She turned and headed for the stairs before he could open his arms to her for a hug. Both parents stayed silent until they were certain she was in her room.

Jethro ran his tongue over his teeth. Rage, frustration, heartache – whatever it was, it had a tight hold on both his heart and throat. He ran a hand through his cropped hair, watching Jenny as she moved to the crib where Adira was still fast asleep.

"What did you say to her while I was gone?" He asked gruffly.

"Hello to you too." She frowned at the glare he gave her. Satisfied that Adira was still okay, she stood back up. "All I told her was that you were away for work and that you couldn't call."

"You sure that's all, 'cause I don't think it is." The look in his eyes were dark as he watched his wife growing increasingly irritated with the situation.

Jenny bit her lips, seriously considering her next few words. Deciding to stick to the truth, she tucked a wisp of red hair behind her ear. "Yes, Jethro. What did you think? That I told her you left to kill a wanted drug lord." The fire in her eyes flashed dangerously. "Should I have told her that a four-day mission turned into four weeks because you were most likely dead?"

"Jen-"

"No, Jethro. What did you expect her reaction to be?" The stress of the whole situation was crashing down on her shoulders with full force. "You left without a second thought as to what might happen to us if you never came back. You're that little girl's whole world and you just left." She rubbed her temples. "At least you said goodbye."

Jethro grit his teeth. He didn't allow himself to think about what might have happened if he had never made it back. He hadn't planned on getting injured, and he owed his life to Mike Franks for rescuing his sorry ass again. He owed Anthony DiNozzo a whole lot more for keeping his family safe.

"I know what this mission meant to you, as an agent I respect you for what you did. But, as a mother and a wife, I don't know how I would have dealt with raising two children while grieving over the loss of my husband. The scary part about all of this is the fact that I knew we would have gotten through it no matter what."

"Jenny, I-" Jethro started, not sure what he should say.

Jenny wiped at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "I had to listen to Kelly yell hysterically for you to help her when she split open her forehead. I had to watch Tony try and sooth her at night when she had a nightmare and I couldn't get to her fast enough."

She watched her husband stare back at her, silently processing the information she had dumped on him. Moving closer to him she cupped his bruised cheek. "You have to understand what we went through. Kelly is five, Jethro. She might be ahead of her age, but she's still a little girl who thought she had lost her father and she's too much like you. Neither of you deal with your emotions openly."

Kissing the corner of his mouth gently, she fought against the tremble in her hands. He made no attempt to pull away or to kiss her back. Letting him go she wrapped her arms around herself. "Just talk to her."

Jethro nodded, watching as she moved back to where Adira was slowly starting to stir. He slipped past her, heading towards Kelly's room.

The little girl was darting around her room, setting up her usual weekend fort that would come down Sunday night. She wrinkled her nose as the blanket kept slipping off the corner of the bed. Huffing, she grabbed one of the many fairy-tale books that sat on her bookshelf. Planting it firmly on the blanket to keep it in place.

Taking a step back she admired her fort with pride. Grabbing her colouring book and pencils, she dived into the opening, spreading her things open in front of her. Yoda traipsed into the fort, curling up in his basket that had been used as part of the fort.

The door creaked open behind her and she watched her father's boots move into the room. She held her breath, hoping he would leave.

"Kelly Bear." Jethro called quietly, hoping the affectionate nickname would draw her out. He heard her quiet sigh, it wasn't long before she emerged from behind the makeshift door. "Why don't you come sit here with daddy for a minute?"

Abandoning her fort, she shuffled across the carpet to where her father was seated on the edge of her bed. She looked at him with large blue eyes that spoke volumes. He brushed tendrils of hair out of her face as he lifted her to sit on his knee.

Jethro ran a thumb over the healing scar on her forehead. He leaned closer, placing a comforting kiss on her forehead. He didn't want to think about his daughter screaming as the pain had sliced through her. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he pulled her against his chest.

"Kelly Bear, what's wrong?" Placing a finger under her chin, he had her look up at him.

Kelly's bottom lip quivered as she looked up at him, blue eyes swimming in tears. She sniffled softly as she buried her face against his chest. Small fists bunched the material of his shirt. He held her as she cried against his chest, her tears soaking through his polo shirt.

"I was scared." She hiccuped, rubbing at her eyes with one hand.

"Of what, baby?" He rubbed her back soothingly, cradling her close to his chest as she clung to him.

Kelly sat up straight as her father brushed away the tears streaking her down her cheeks. "That you won't come back. Like when uncle Mike left. Mommy also cried a lot when you were gone."

He cupped Kelly's cheeks in his large palms, wrinkling his nose at her. "Daddy's really sorry that he made you sad. I promise it won't ever happen again, okay? If I have to go out of town, I will always call you from now on."

Kelly beamed up at him, throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek lovingly as she snuggled into his chest. He cradled her close to him, relieved that she finally welcomed him home.

He'd been lying awake ever since Adira had started crying and Jenny had padded across the hall to see what was wrong. He let out a quiet sigh. His wife had avoided him the whole afternoon, busying herself every time he seemed to walk into the room. After his conversation with Kelly, he had a whole new perspective of what they had been through while he was gone.

Throwing back the covers, he made his way to the nursery. He leaned against the door frame, watching the happy smile on his wife's face as she cooed at the baby quietly. Pushing the door open, he caught her eye as she quickly tried to cover herself the moment she noticed him.

Grabbing the pacifier, she offered it to Adira. Yanking her top back in place she adjusted the baby so she could pass her to her father. "Do you mind taking her for a minute while I make her bottle?"

Jethro took his daughter, but stepped in front of Jenny as she tried to move past him. Adira blinked up at him, suckling the pacifier eagerly. Stroking her coppery hair, he met his wife's tired eyes. "Jen, what's going on here?"

She didn't want to acknowledge that she too had been treating him differently. Rubbing her forehead, she gave him an almost grim smile. "I don't want a repeat of last night."

Jethro shook his head, a soft smile curling the corners of his mouth. "Your eye is twitching." He could see the irritation at herself flash across her face.

Jenny let out a sigh. Taking a seat on the couch, she looked up at her husband as he cradled Adira close to his chest, murmuring some lullaby to her. She bit her lip. This was what she had feared she'd never see. Sweet little moments like this, when it was just them and their little family.

"I realize that I was wrong earlier. I had done the same thing to you, not that long ago." The memories still haunted her. Taking that mission in Paris had been no different than him leaving for Columbia. "I'm sorry."

Jethro shrugged his shoulders. "I should have let someone else go." He ran a calloused finger down Adira's soft cheek, noticing her rooting around against his chest. "Think she might want to drink again."

"I'll get her bottle."

"Thought you wanted to breastfeed?" He looked at her quizzically.

"Well we both know how that's been going. I'd rather save us both the frustration and make her a bottle."

"Jenny, what aren't you telling me?"

She pushed her thick red hair out of her face. How could she possibly tell him that she was setting unrealistic goals for herself? That whenever he was in the room with her she felt panicked, wondering what it might be she was doing wrong that would have him hovering over her shoulder. Being a mother was unlike anything she'd ever done before.

"I'm scared, Jethro." She finally allowed the tears to stream down her cheeks. "It feels like you're just waiting for me to slip up when you come in here after me." She moved closer to him. "I'm scared that I'll mess up and run off like my mother did."

Jethro pressed his free hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb against the soft skin he encountered. He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. It felt like ages since the last time they had actually shared a proper kiss. Pulling back he tucked a tendril of red hair behind her ear.

"Jenny, I..." He pressed his forehead against hers. "I don't know what to do with myself. I had to do everything with Kelly. I don't want you to do all this alone."

She smiled up at him, hands cupping his face tenderly, tears still flowing freely. "I was terrified that I'd never see you again."

Jethro swallowed against the emotions currently constricting his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, luxuriating the feel of the tender kisses being littered across his face. There had been a number of days where he had though that all hope had been lost, that he'd never see his family again. He met his wife's lips in a fierce kiss, hoping to convey everything he felt.

"Me too." He whispered thickly.

Adira fussed suddenly, aimlessly nuzzling against her father's chest. Adjusting her gently he handed her back to her mother. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Don't leave." Jenny stopped him, knowing that he was feeling left out, she tugged him towards the couch.

Jethro took a seat, helping her settle between his thighs and letting her rest against his chest. He pressed his nose against her hair; eyes fluttering shut as he allowed his senses to be consumed by her. He watched as Adira latched on easily.

"She's so tiny." He murmured as he placed his large palm on the crown of her head. He felt Jenny nod against his chest, relaxing more into him. "You're a great mother, Jen."

He didn't have to see her to know that she was crying. He tightened his arms around her, helping her support the little pink bundle in her arms. He knew that there was going to be more days like this, that there was going to be more challenges ahead of them. As long as he had his family there with him he'd be able to face anything. He pressed a kiss to his wife's cheek, resting his own against the top of her head.

But for now, life was just perfect.

This veered from being fluffy and headed straight to being sappy. Meh, hope you enjoyed it.